


mustn't let a little thing like 'little' stop you

by pdameron



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Force-Sensitive Finn, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Character Death (Mentioned), Time Travel, hopefully a good ratio of fluff to angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 09:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9993926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pdameron/pseuds/pdameron
Summary: Through a convenient ion storm a la Star Trek, Shara Bey and a tiny Poe Dameron end up at the Resistance's military base.Finn ends up babysitting.





	

**Author's Note:**

> look, if the star trek fandom can get away with all kinds of shit because of ion storms and transporter malfunctions, then damnit so can we
> 
> huge thanks to [gammadolphin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gammadolphin/pseuds/gammadolphin) for beta-ing
> 
> my headcanon shara is [danay](https://68.media.tumblr.com/13b791d065d284923a6e62cb2ae64000/tumblr_odns1zQzFp1vwrm9ao1_540.gif) [garcia](http://68.media.tumblr.com/2ca76930c56f77649e5fe4a402d4e151/tumblr_odi4rowJJm1vwrm9ao6_r1_400.gif) if anyone was curious

 

The sight of an old A-Wing hurtling through the sky and crashing into the lake behind the base was hardly the strangest thing Finn had ever seen, despite the fact that it seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Odd, perhaps, but not the strangest thing he’d ever seen. Maybe the strangest thing this week.

Still, Finn was curious, so he followed the crowd toward the crash site, jogging up to where Poe and Jess were standing at the edge of the lake. They’d been running drills with the new recruits, which were usually conducted out of the way of the usual hustle and bustle of the base. Finn had been sitting to the side, watching the training and mostly just enjoying the sight of Poe in a tank top, instead of his usual civvies or flight suit or uniform. 

“Where the kriff did this come from?” 

Poe shrugged, still staring at the ship, now floating in the shallow lake about twenty yards away. “Your guess is as good as mine, buddy. They’re just lucky they landed in the water instead of crashing into any of the trees or buildings.”

Finn looked over at Jess for her input. She glanced between the cloudy sky and the ship with interest. “Do you think it has anything to do with that ion storm that’s been keeping us grounded?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, maybe,” Poe answered absentmindedly, still staring at the ship. “You know, my mom flew an A-Wing just like this during the Rebellion. It’s even the same color.”

“I don’t recall dismissing any of you from your posts.” 

The crowd turned to see Admiral Ackbar and General Organa heading toward them. The initial excitement having worn off, most people wandered back toward the base at the warning from the Admiral. Only Poe, Finn, and Jess remained.

Poe pouted at the pointed look the General sent them when they didn’t leave. “Aw, come on General! We’ve been grounded for  _ two weeks _ . All I’ve been doing is running drills and sitting in meetings, Jess has been slowly losing her mind running flight sims with recruits, and Finn - well, Finn’s actually been doing stuff, but he doesn’t have training with Luke until this afternoon! This is the most interesting thing that’s happened in ages. Can’t we just watch?”

The General sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Just - stop making that face.”

Poe smirked, turning to Finn to make some quip, when he was cut off by the hiss of the A-Wing’s doors opening. A woman’s head popped out, looking around to see her surroundings before ducking back down quickly. Finn could just make out the sound of voices talking rapidly, before she reappeared, this time jumping out of the cockpit and into the water with a splash.

“Hello there,” she called out, hands held outward defensively as she waded toward them, until the water was just above her knees. “We seem to have gotten ourselves into a bit of trouble here. If you could just let me do some quick repairs on my ship, and point me in the right direction, we’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

The pilot seemed friendly enough, Finn thought, but when he turned to see what the General thought, she had an odd look on her face, like she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Which made no sense to Finn, since the woman’s request seemed reasonable to him. He looked over to Poe for his opinion, but he was wearing the same shocked expression as the General. Actually, he looked more like he’d had the wind knocked out of him.

“You okay?” Finn prompted, but Poe didn’t so much as glance in his direction, staring at the pilot in wonder. 

“That’s - that’s my - ” 

Poe didn’t finish that thought, instead sprinting into the lake towards the woman, ignoring the calls of his companions. Finn followed without a second thought. Something was wrong with Poe, and Finn wasn’t about to leave him without backup, even if it was against some woman.

Poe stopped short about two feet from the woman, Finn nearly crashing into him at the sudden halt in movement. He’d thought Poe was going to attack the pilot, or yell, or well, do  _ something _ , but he just stood there, staring at her.

Finn was... unamused by Poe’s inaction. He had not chased him into a cold lake, splashing himself nearly head to toe with cold water, only for Poe to just stare at a stranger.

The woman had stepped back some when they had run toward her, her hand hovering over the blaster in her side holster, but she seemed to have calmed some, noting that Poe wasn’t making a move to hurt her.

Finally, Poe spoke, his voice strangely soft, almost awed. “I - I just - You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

Finn stared at him, bewildered. What in the name of the force was going on? “Uh...Poe? Are you alright?”

At that, the pilot’s eyes widened, laughing in disbelief. “Poe? That’s my son’s name. It’s a family name - what are the odds?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Finn, and this is Poe. Poe Dameron. We’re with the Resistance,” he responded. “I promise, Poe’s not usually this weird.”

“Poe  _ Dameron _ ? That’s impossible.”

Finn looked over at his friend for some help, only to see Poe’s eyes well up with tears, his hands shaking.

“I don’t know - I’m -  _ Mom _ ,” Poe breathed out, before practically throwing his arms around the woman, holding on to her as if she might disappear. His entire body was trembling, and Finn could hear him crying softly into the woman’s shoulder. 

The woman. 

The pilot.

Poe’s mother.

Well, everything made a lot more sense now, Finn thought. Especially considering that Poe’s mom died when he was eight. She’d tentatively wrapped her arms around Poe, probably more out of politeness than anything else, but the look she was sending Finn was nothing short of mystified.

Which.

Fair enough. 

If a handsome man claimed to be Finn’s adult son, he’d have some questions as well. 

He took a good hard look at the woman, taking in every detail. He’d seen her face a million times, framed on the shelves in Poe’s quarters, in old holos the General had shown him from the Rebellion: how had he not seen it before? Still, better safe than sorry…

“You’re Shara Bey? Poe’s mother?”

She pulled back sharply, or at least tried to. Poe, who hadn’t said a word since he’d first latched onto the woman, wouldn’t budge. She ended up glaring at Finn from over Poe’s shoulder.

“How do you know my name? What’s going on here? What the kriff is going on with your unbalanced friend?”

Finn tried not to laugh at that. He’d heard Poe called many things since he’d met him: ‘unbalanced’ was a new one. Best to stay calm, and not laugh at the baffled woman.

“I know your name because Poe’s told me about you. He’s shown me your picture. I’ve met your husband, Kes.”

Shara’s eyes narrowed at Finn’s mention of Mr. Dameron, but she looked unconvinced.

Finn decided it was time to take action. It didn’t look like Poe was going to be letting go anytime soon, and he really didn’t want his friend to get kneed in a soft place by his suspicious mother.

“I don’t know how you got here,” Finn said.” To be frank, we should probably be more concerned about whether  _ you’re _ the real deal. All I know is that Poe loves you, and he misses you, and he deserves a chance.”

She sighed in response, apparently moved enough to give Finn the benefit of the doubt. She redirected her attention to Poe and pulled back just far enough to rake her eyes over his face, searching for some sign of her son in the grown man before her.  Finn saw the moment her eyes lit up with recognition, the moment it all clicked into place.

“You look like your father, baby,” she said wondrously. Shara reached up to run a hand through his hair, fingering one of the loose curls on his forehead. Poe let out another heart wrenching sob, letting his mother pull him close as he clutched onto her.

Finn turned away, wanting to give the two some much needed privacy. He glanced over at where the General was talking hurriedly with Admiral Ackbar. She must have recognized Shara, Finn realized; that was why she’d reacted so strangely. Jess was nowhere to be found, probably dismissed by the Admiral after the initial shock had worn off. At Finn’s beckon, the General waded out into the lake toward the them, Ackbar walking toward the base, undoubtedly on his way to look into how Shara Bey had  _ time traveled _ in an ancient-looking A-Wing.

By the time Leia made it over to them, the Damerons had pulled apart, Poe wiping away his remaining tears. Finn smiled softly as he realized that Poe still had an arm around his mother’s waist, still hanging on. 

“Leia? Is that you?” Shara gaped at the General. It must have been quite a shock: Leia was probably still a young Princess where Shara came from.

“It’s good to see you, old friend,” the General answered, a fond smile on her face; Finn could have sworn there were tears in her eyes. 

Shara let go of Poe with a quick smile in his direction, before walking forward and grabbing the General into a tight embrace. 

“For me, it’s been a couple of months, but I get the feeling it’s been a lot longer since you last saw me,” Shara said after they’d pulled back, her eyes knowing. Well, that was one awkward conversation they could avoid. She turned to Poe, walking over and taking his face in her hands. “And you! What a handsome man you’ve grown into! You’ve still got those wild curls, I see. And that little Pylat Pox scar from when you were - ,” Shara suddenly turned to the General. “Oh, kriff, Leia, we’ve got a little problem…”

As the two women huddled close in conversation, Finn pulled Poe aside. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. I don’t know. Maybe?” Poe answered absentmindedly, still staring at his mother. 

Finn squeezed Poe’s hand, tugging until he finally looked at him. “Poe, you know she can’t stay here. She’s gotta go home, wherever that is.”

Poe sighed wistfully, giving Finn a shaky smile.. “I know, I know. I just - I’m gonna enjoy this as long as I can, I think,” he paused, looking back at Shara. “Finn… She looks just like I remembered her.”

There was another splash from behind them (probably some external part of the A-Wing falling off into the lake) but Finn paid it no mind, studying Poe’s face. He’d never understand how someone could look so happy, and yet so sad, all at once. It made his heart ache for Poe, to know that he’d have to lose his mother all over again soon enough. 

This was gonna hurt like a bitch.

 

 

******

 

 

The small group slowly came out of the lake, the General sending Poe ahead with his mother to find Admiral Ackbar and do some research on how to Shara her back to her own time. Finn watched as they made their way into the large central building, occasionally stopping so that Poe could point out this or that, and introduce her to Jess when she ran over. Poe didn’t let go of her hand once.

Finn felt a slight tug on his jacket sleeve, and looked down to see a little boy, no older than five, with big brown eyes, a mop of dark curly hair and - holy kriff. 

“Are you an angel?”

Finn was jolted from his gawking by the child’s question. Honestly, when had this kid shown up, and how had Finn missed him? “I’m sorry?”

The boy looked up at him earnestly, his eyes wide as saucers. “I said, are you an angel? Cause you must be the most prettiest person I ever saw in my whole  _ life _ .”

Finn felt himself go slightly red as the General - who had been watching the two with mild amusement - let out an undignified snort from behind her hand. He looked between her and the boy frantically, sputtering and stammering as he tried to come up with a response that wasn’t  _ ‘Does your older self feel that way?’ _

At last, the General seemed to take mercy on him, kneeling down until she was at an even level with the boy (Poe? Poe-ling? Boy Poe? Little Poe?). “Poe, sweetheart, do you remember who I am?”

Poe beamed at the older woman, bouncing up and down eagerly. “Yup yup yup! You’re Miss Princess Leia, Mommy and Daddy’s space friend and the coolest lady in the whole - ” he cut himself off with a dramatic gasp, his big eyes suddenly damp. “Miss Princess Leia!” He wailed, “I drawed you a picture! Mommy didn’t tell me we were gonna see you! I don’t have it!”

The General gave Poe a hasty hug, rubbing his back soothingly as she answered him. “Don’t cry, Poe. It’s alright, really. I can just look forward to seeing it next time, okay?”

Poe wiped his tear-stained face on his sleeve, and nodded along with her, if a little sullenly. She smiled reassuringly before beckoning Finn to crouch down with them. 

“Poe, this is Finn. He’s not an angel, but he is a very nice man, and my friend.”

Poe gave a pitiful sniffle. “Hullo, Mr. Finn.”

“I’ve got to go talk to your mom, try and figure out how to get you two back home. Would it be okay if Finn stayed with you?”

“Uh - General - I’ve never really looked after a kid before, I don’t know - ”

He was cut off by the General giving him a firm elbow to the gut. She leaned over to whisper quickly in his ear. “He doesn’t know anyone here, and we need his mother to tell us what happened on her end. He wouldn’t be able to handle the concept of our Poe. He thought you were an angel; I’m pretty sure you’re our best bet.”

Finn sighed, turning to the boy, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes. He gave the boy a tentative smile, chuckling when it was returned tenfold with a toothy grin. He supposed there were worse things than hanging out with a cute kid for a while, especially when that kid was one of his best friends. 

Sort of.

He had no idea how to approach entertaining a child, but he certainly knew how to entertain  _ Poe _ . Whether it would translate to his smaller self had yet to be seen.

“So, Poe...would you like to go look at the X-Wings?”

The little boy’s eyes went huge, his mouth dropping open. “.... _ Really _ ?”

Nailed it. “Of course! Why not?”

Poe launched himself at Finn, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes! Can we go now? Can we go now, please, Mr. Finn? Please?” He practically skipped away, literally jumping with excitement as he stood by the entrance waiting for Finn, his earlier distress apparently forgotten. 

Finn glanced over at the General for approval, and at her nod, walked over to Poe, taking his hand and leading him through the base and toward the landing bay. Of course, this didn’t last long, as Poe quickly grew frustrated at the bustling adults walking around him and blocking his view. He reached his arms up (with a pout not unlike the one his older counterpart wore when he was being particularly whiny) until Finn caved in the face of his cuteness and lifted the boy onto his shoulders, so he could get a good look around. Poe held on tightly as Finn grabbed hold of his little feet, trying to avoid getting hit by an absent-minded kick. Poe seemed oblivious to the stares from the passersby, and so Finn tried his best to ignore them as well and focus on whatever the boy was chattering about instead.

“  - Mommy’s is green, but my most favoritest color is blue. But I also like pink and yellow and red and purple too. What’s your favoritest color Mr. Finn?”

Finn hadn’t given it much thought - kids just had different priorities, evidently. He took a moment, trying to think of a color he had a particular attachment to; all he could think about were the racing stripes along the side of black one, the little circles that covered BB-8, the look on Poe’s  - his Poe, that is - face when he climbed into his flight suit. So: “Orange.”

“Orange? Like cheese?”

“...Sure.”

Poe made a thoughtful sound, ignoring Finn’s grunt of pain as he pulled on his hair. “Orange is my favorite too!”

Finn craned his neck to give Poe a confused to look. “But I thought you said blue was your favorite?”

“No, blue is my favorit _ est _ . Orange is my favorite.”

“Since when?”

Poe rolled his eyes. “Since right now, Mr. Finn.  _ Duh _ .”

Finn went to respond, but he was cut off when Poe pointed excitedly toward the landing bay, yelling about ‘spaceships and space pilots and space droids’! He carried Poe over to Black One, then set him down and let him run under and around the ship as he leant against the landing gear, catching his breath. He must be getting soft, Finn thought, if carrying a toddler for ten minutes was tiring him out. Still, he was enjoying himself, laughing at the sight of Poe trying to stand on his head to get an upside-down look at the X-Wing.

“Hey, Poe. Wanna climb in the cockpit?” Finn figured his Poe wouldn’t mind, seeing as this would probably, eventually be this Poe’s ship anyway. Within seconds there was an excited child clamped to his leg like a limpet grinning and babbling up at him so quickly it was impossible to decipher what was being said. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He let Poe climb the ladder first, following him closely in case the little boy slipped. When they reached the top, Poe crawled onto the nose, sitting just in front of the latched window of the cockpit and waiting impatiently for Finn to open the hatch. Once Finn managed to pry it open (it was difficult with one hand, okay? He had to hold on to little Poe, for safety reasons. Obviously.), he turned to Poe triumphantly, only to find the little boy staring off at something in the distance.

“That man looks like my daddy,” He said, pointing toward the base.

Finn looked over and - yep, there was  _ his _ Poe, following a few steps behind Leia and Shara, his eyes still glued to his mother. He stopped suddenly, as if sensing someone looking at him, and turned toward Black One, grinning when he locked eyes with Finn. Finn saw the moment Poe realized who was sitting on his X - Wing. The hand he had started to raise to wave froze; his eyes widened almost comically; and he was just close enough for Finn to read his lips: ‘Holy fucking kriff’, indeed.

Admiral Ackbar (who had been walking alongside him, Finn realized once he’d shaken off his Poe-centric tunnel vision) gestured impatiently for Poe to keep up, and so with one last awestruck wave, he was gone again, leaving Finn alone to deal with an over-eager... five year old? Four year old? Three year old? Well, he was a toddler, at any rate.

“Hey Poe, how old are you?”

Little Poe, who had since crawled into the cockpit and was sitting on his knees to get a good look at the dash, looked up with a proud grin. “I’m four and a quarter. When I turn five Mommy says I can sit in the crotch-pit and help her fly the ship!”

Ah yes, the crotch-pit. 

“Four and a quarter, huh? That’s pretty old.”

“Yeah,  _ duh _ . I’m a big boy, Mr. Finn,” And, as if to completely contradict this point, Poe grabbed the adult-sized helmet that had been on the floor of the cockpit and dropped it on his head, making him look even smaller than he already was. 

Finn laughed delightedly as the little boy tried to adjust the helmet so he could see, only to have it fall back down as he let go. Little Poe in Big Poe’s helmet was possibly the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

He bent over to help Poe fix the chin strap on the helmet, when he saw the time on the cockpit’s clock. 12:50.

“Oh, Kriff,” Finn swore, “I’m gonna be late.”

He heard a high pitched gasp of horror, and looked over to see Poe literally clutching his little hands to his heart. “Mr.  _ Finn _ , you said a  _ bad word _ !”

Finn let out a little snort, in spite of himself. If only the little boy could hear the filth his older self spewed every morning before his coffee; then he’d be really scandalized.

“I’m sorry, Poe, I didn’t mean to. I’m going to go train with my friend, would you like to come?”

Poe rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Can I wear the helmet?” 

Finn rolled his eyes. Typical Poe. “Sure thing, bud.”

He lifted the boy out of the cockpit and helped him down the ladder, before taking his hand to walk back on base and to the training area.

“What kind of training are you doing? Is it fighting? Is it flying? Is it spying? Is it super sneak-ing? Is it - ”

“It’s just - training. My friend Rey and I go to our teacher, Master Luke, and - ”

_ “LUKE SKYWALKER?!” _ Finn was cut off by Poe’s loud screech. He looked down to see the boy frozen in place, staring up at Finn in complete awe. “Mr. Finn, are you a  _ JEDI? _ ”

Finn grinned, kneeling down to scoop Poe up onto his back. “Not yet. Rey and I are Padawans, which means we’re learning to be Jedi.”

“Can you use the Force?” To further convey his meaning, Poe reached out one of his hands and waved it in front of Finn’s face.

“I’m learning to, yes.”  Poe squirmed and wriggled against Finn until he could reach his foot, and then threw his shoe on the ground. “Can you pick that up with the  _ Force _ ?” Poe whispered, waving his shoe-throwing hand in Finn’s face again.

Now, Finn wasn’t meant to show off when it came to using the Force. The Force was a powerful thing, not a magic trick to use to entertain small children or a pretty face. And to be plain, Finn wasn’t even sure he could lift the shoe, no matter how small it was. The only times he’d ever managed to move things so far were when he’d been running on sheer adrenaline. 

Still…

Finn reached out one hand (the other still clamped around Poe’s leg to hold him up) and called to the Force, feeling it surge and swell within him. He closed his eyes, focusing all his thoughts on the shoe. He could tell it was working, and not just from the pleased squeals coming from behind him. Finn opened his eyes just as it reached chest level. He plucked the shoe from mid-air, reaching back to hand the shoe back to Poe.

“There you go, buddy.”

“That was  _ uncredible _ , Mr. Finn! You’re the best patamon  _ ever _ !” Poe shouted, clapping his hands and nearly toppling off Finn’s back with his excited jitters.

They walked for a time, more calmly, as Poe sang little songs to himself about Ewoks and Wookies quietly and Finn tried not to drop the squirming boy. Eventually, Poe stopped singing, and tapped Finn on the shoulder.

“Mr. Finn? I don’t know how to tie my shoe.”

 

 

******

 

 

Finn didn’t know if Luke didn’t approve of his little shoe trick, but if his behavior had been any indication, he thought he was in the clear. During their training session, Luke had taken one look at Poe and decided their time was better spent entertaining a four year old than, say, learning to become a Jedi.

Still, watching the look of delight on Poe’s face as Luke lifted him off the ground with the force was infinitely more fun than meditating. 

The only problem was that Finn had no idea how to follow playing with an actual living legend and Jedi master. Anything else just seemed...small.

Luke finished telling Poe his exaggerated stories (about himself and Poe’s mother defeating an evil squid during the rebellion or something) before Finn and Rey could finish brainstorming their next activity. 

“Mr. Finn! Did you know my mommy beat the emperor?”

Finn and Rey exchanged bemused glances, before looking back at the little boy. “Did Luke tell you that?”

“Yup! He said she was magnifirent!”

“Well, if Luke says so, then it must be true,” Rey answered with a grin. She bit her lip thoughtfully before turning to Finn. “I have an idea, but it would involve getting to the kitchens without every single person on base trying to get a good look at P - O - E.”

Poe tugged on Rey’s pant leg, bouncing with energy. “That’s my name! P - O - E!”

“You can spell your name? That’s impressive.”

“Yup! Daddy taught me. P - O - E, D - A - N - E -R - N!”

Rey covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. Finn just smiled indulgently. 

“Hey, Poe: we’re gonna go to the kitchen, but we’ve gotta be really sneaky about it. You think you can manage that?”

Poe’s eyes went huge. “YOU MEAN LIKE A  _ SPY? _ ” he shouted.

“Yes, Poe. Like a very quiet spy.”

And so Finn found himself sitting on the floor in a corner of the kitchen with Rey and Poe, after an action-packed few minutes involving a four year old trying to somersault his way across a military base and Rey crawling on her stomach to humor him. The kitchen crew had taken one look at Poe’s tiny face and practically raced to get Rey what she needed, which was apparently twine and corn. 

Finn had offered to leave them to it, but at Rey’s pleading look, he’d stayed with the pair. For all that Rey liked little Poe (and big Poe, for that matter), she’d never really spent much time with children and she still wasn’t used to talking to new people, even if they were three feet tall. Finn understood: they were both a little in over their heads when it came to all the attention they were getting from the people on base. At least little Poe’s constant attention was by virtue of being four and eager to make friends. 

“So the actual corn plays no part?” Finn asked curiously, watching as the husk of an ear of corn slowly morphed into a small person.

Rey looked up from where she was helping Poe twist his husk into what looked like a head, both of their tongues sticking out in identical expressions of concentration. “Finn, I’m a little busy here,” she said as she tied a piece of twine around the doll’s head to keep it in place.

“Where did you learn how to do this?” 

“I made them when I was little, back on Jakku. Couldn’t afford real toys. Sometimes I even made clothes for them.”

The thought of a little Rey, only a few years older than the Poe in front of him, sitting by herself in an old AT-AT with nothing but some husks of corn as friends was quite possibly the saddest thing he’d ever heard. Rey kicked him in the shin. 

“Stop looking all sad. I’m not by myself anymore. I’ve got you.”

“DONE!” Poe shouted, oblivious to the conversation around him. “I’m gonna name him Finn!”

Finn looked over at the slightly lopsided corn husk man, with one arm shorter than the other and an enormous head. “...Nice work, Poe.”

The pleased smile he got in response did funny things to his heart.

And then Jess, Snap, and Kare came crashing into the room, knocking over several pots and pans in their haste to get a look at Poe. It kind of spoiled the moment.

 

 

******

 

 

It took another three hours for Ackbar and the science division to pinpoint the exact variables of the ion storm that caused Shara and Poe’s time jump. The theory was that if they could predict the next moment in the meteorological patterns of the storm, or even recreate the event, they could send the two back. 

Finn had elected to ignore Ackbar’s theories about mirror universes and alternate realities. There was only so much he could handle in one day: the concept of time travel was more than surreal enough.

It was a good thing, Finn knew, that the two of them were going home. It was a good thing that they were going back to Kes Dameron, to the world they knew. 

It was just - he was going to miss little Poe. 

And it was hard to see the good in them leaving when his Poe looked like he was going to fly apart at any moment. 

Finn managed to pull Shara aside briefly before the final calculations were made, to give her a gift of sorts. 

“I - uh - I know you’ve sort of put two and two together when it comes to your future. You know, about - ”

“I’m gonna die.”

Finn cringed. “Yes. That. … I thought you might like to have something to remember Poe. As he is now, that is,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old holo he’d taken from his room while little Poe had been playing with BB-8 (and hadn't that been interesting? Poe's clothes were covered in dirt from all his rolling around with the droid). “It’s a bit old, from about eight months ago, but…”

Shara took it hesitantly, pressing the play button at Finn’s encouraging nod. A small blue hologram of Poe flickered into view, hovering just above the small device. It was of only his upper body, obviously having been filmed from the cockpit of a shuttle he’d commandeered. Finn had chosen it simply because of how close the camera had been to Poe's face, and how clearly you could see his expressions.

“ _ Hey Finn. It’s - uh - four in the morning, and I’ve been orbiting Kamino for like, twenty years. I mean, I guess it could be worse, I could be on Kamino, in the freezing rain, but still. It’s boring. Plus, I’m not in Black One, so I don’t even have BB to entertain me. Stupid stealth missions,”  _ Holo Poe grumbles, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “ _ So, here I am, recording this message, because I’m so kriffing bored. The General’s probably gonna yell at me for sending personal holos using military encryptions. Oh well. So...how are you? Hopefully not as bored as me. You’re starting Jedi training soon, right? I can’t wait to see that. What color do you think your lightsaber will be? You should pick something really cool. Like pink or something. Anyway, what I’m trying to say, is I miss you. I mean it’s only been four days, but - oh shit, that’s the guy’s transport. I gotta go Finn, I’ll send this when I get the chance.” _

As the hologram flickered and faded, Shara held it to her chest. “This is….thank you. I don’t know if I should take it though, it must mean a lot to you, if you’ve kept it all this time.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I have like, ten more back in my quarters.”

“Oh. I see,” Shara said, a knowing look in her eyes. “So that’s how it is, huh?”

Finn’s eyes widened. “Oh, well - the thing is - that’s not what - ”

Shara clapped him on the shoulder, cutting him off. “You’re a sweet kid, Finn. I don’t know what difference it makes, since I’m dead and all, but you’ve got my blessing,” she gave him a wink and a kiss on the cheek before walking back over to speak with Ackbar, leaving Finn sputtering and blushing in her wake.

Finn walked over to little Poe, crouching down to so he could say his own goodbye.

“Well, little guy, it looks like we’ve gotta say goodbye.”

Poe nodded. “Wanna come to my house tomorrow after school? We could have juice!” 

Finn sighed. He had no idea how to tell Poe that this was a more permanent goodbye than the little boy realized. Maybe his mom could explain it. He glanced over at  _ his _ Poe and his mother, who were finally pulling apart, Shara reaching up to wipe away her son's tears. This was it, then. 

He turned back to little Poe, pulling him close for a hug. “I’m gonna miss you, buddy.”

Poe grinned at Finn before skipping back toward his mother, grabbing her hand and babbling about his day excitedly.  They got about halfway there when he suddenly let out a shout and raced back to Finn.

“MR. FINN! I FORGOT SOMETHING!” He held out a little spool of twine, tied in a loose knot. “Mr. Finn, will you marry me?”

He heard several people behind him attempt to stifle their laughter. “I’m sorry?”

“Will you be my husband? Or my wife. You can be my wife too. I don’t mind.”

Finn knelt down, taking the makeshift ring with a smile. “Maybe when you’re older, Poe.”

Little Poe squealed in excitement, before smacking a sloppy kiss onto Finn’s cheek. He ran back to his mother, waving his farewells as she lifted him back into the cockpit. “Bye Mr. Finn! Bye Rey! Bye Miss Princess Leia! Bye Luke Skywalker!”

They all waved as the A-Wing lifted off and headed back toward the ion cloud. The tightness in Finn’s chest was not unlike the sensation he’d felt when he’d learned Rey was gone upon waking up after Starkiller. He walked over to Poe,  _ his _ Poe,  and took his hand.

“Poe, I - ”

“Finn, buddy, I appreciate it, but I can’t do this right now,” he gave Finn’s hand a squeeze, looking up at him with watery eyes. “I think I need to be alone for a while.”

And so he left, and no one followed him.

No one could possibly understand, anyway.

 

 

 

******

 

 

It was a few days later that Finn finally went to see Poe. Everyone, including him, had been giving Poe his space, walking on eggshells, trying to give him time to recover. He hadn’t talked to Poe since that afternoon, and his worry had won out over his better judgment. Poe had asked him for space, and surely three days was enough, right?

Poe wasn’t in his room, or in the mess, or even messing around with Black One. After nearly an hour of searching, Finn found him sitting on along the edge of the lake where Shara had crashed, his bare feet dangling over the short ledge where the grass ended and in the water. 

Finn had no idea where to even begin, so he just sat down next to him and said: “Hey.”

Poe started, apparently unaware that Finn had come up to join him. “Hey, yourself.”

Finn reached over to take Poe’s hand, and that was that. They sat there in silence, watching as the sun began to set. It wasn’t until long after the moon had risen that Poe finally spoke, still staring at the horizon.

“‘Maybe when you’re older’, huh?”

Finn whipped his head to look at Poe so fast it actually hurt. “You heard that?”

Poe grinned at him mischievously, the first real sign of his old self Finn had seen since this whole ordeal started. “Don’t worry, I won’t read too much into it. It’s hard to say no to cuteness. I think I’m engaged to three of Snap’s kids.”

Finn shrugged. “I don’t know if I would have liked him as much if I hadn’t known he was you.”

Poe gave him an inscrutable look at that, one that lasted a bit too long for Finn’s comfort.

“...Poe?”

“Ackbar thinks that they might have come from an alternate universe, but I know better.”

Finn stared. “You remember time traveling as a kid and you never thought to bring it up?”

“Not exactly,” Poe looked away from Finn, breaking eye contact and staring up at the moon. “When I first saw you, back on the Finalizer, my first thought was ‘Wow, he looks just like I imagined Prince Finn when I was little.’”

“Prince Finn?”

“I was four, okay? Obviously you morphed in my imagination from a padawan to Prince Charming as I got older.”

“Four and a quarter, actually.”

Poe sent him a glare. “ _ Anyway _ , when you said you didn’t have a name, I picked Finn because I’d already been thinking about my old imaginary friend,  _ Prince _ Finn.”

Finn started laughing. “Are you - are you telling me,” he finally managed to gasp out between giggles, tears streaming down his face, “That you named me after  _ myself? _ ”

“Are you gonna let me finish or what?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Finn responded, wiping away a stray tear as his chuckles subsided.

“So, here I am, thinking it’s all just one big coincidence, when suddenly my mom shows up with a tiny me, and I realize it was you all along,” Poe said, looking at Finn in wonder.

“It must have been quite an epiphany.”

Poe laughed, shaking his head. “All this time, I thought I was falling in love with the man of my dreams. I didn’t know how literal that was.”

Finn froze, his smile slipping from his face completely in his shock. Had Poe just -

“I know this is out of the blue, and you probably think I’m just being sentimental and emotional because of my mom, but I promise, I’m not.”

Finn just gaped at him. His mouth was working, but nothing was coming out. Poe  _ loved _ him?

“I watched Poe - other Poe, little Poe, kid Poe, whatever - I watched him kriffing propose to you, right out of the blue, just like that. And I thought to myself, ‘That kid is four years old and he’s braver than I ever will be.’ And you know, these past few days I’ve been thinking about it, and if the fact that he was...well, four, didn’t stop him, then I won’t let the fact that I’m afraid stop me,” he squeezed Finn’s hand tightly. “I love you, Finn. I want to be with you. I’ve wanted that for a long time.”

Finn stared, speechless. However, the longer Finn struggled to articulate his feelings, the more Poe started to pull away, looking defeated.

Well, that wouldn’t do.

Finn lurched forward, cupping Poe’s face with his hands and kissing him with all he had. He felt Poe breathe a sigh of relief into the kiss, grasping Finn by his - by their - jacket and pulling him closer. The kiss slowly gentled, from Finn’s desperate attempt to stop Poe’s leaving to something sweeter, something softer. 

Finn pulled back suddenly. “Wait! Oh my god. I didn’t say it. I love you too.”

“Yeah, I sort of got that, buddy,” Poe laughed, albeit a bit breathlessly.

Finn slid his hand down to Poe’s neck, pushing their foreheads together gently. “I love you, Poe Dameron,” he breathed, closing his eyes.

Poe sighed, pulling Finn even closer, burying his face in the younger man’s neck as he wrapped his arms around him. They held each other for force knows how long, before Poe pulled away, laying on his back and staring up at the stars. Finn laid down next to Poe, shifting up on one elbow so he could look at him. He reached out with his other hand to brush a stray lock of hair off Poe’s face. Poe tilted his head and gave him a small smile at that, and for the first time, Finn finally understood what that look in his eyes was: it was love. 

“Did I ever tell you about the time my mom saved Naboo?”

Yes, he had. Many, many times.

“No. Tell me.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> all the little poe-isms were inspired by the preschoolers i work with every day
> 
> come talk to me on [tumblr](https://senatorgana.tumblr.com)!


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